Growing Pains
by mabelreid
Summary: One Shot Sequel to "I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus" JJ and Reid are about to have their first child together. How will Hope react to finding out the gender of the baby? JJREID Pairing


_**A/n I'm sorry to all my fans who like little Hope for the long wait on this sequel. Writers block is a terrible thing. If you haven't read "I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus," I highly recommend that you do before reading this. Yes I am one of those that hates the Will and JJ pairing, which helped me overcome the writers block on this as well. **_

_**Thanks to my beta REIDFANATIC for all her help and to my friend CrImInAlMiNdScSiNyFaN87 for helping me with the idea behind this sequel,**_

_**Disclaimer: Only Hope and her sibling belong to me **_

"Hope Reid… I told you to come clear your puzzle books off the table. Your Aunt Penelope is going to be here any minute." JJ yelled to her daughter, who was in her bedroom.

Five year old Hope stomped out into the kitchen. Her long blond hair was in two braids with purple ribbons tied in bows at the ends. She wore a purple tee shirt and jeans. Her feet were clad in purple socks and little white converse shoes.

"I wanna go with you mama…"

"I've told you a million times that you can't go to the doctor with mama."

"Why…"

"Hope… Don't tease your mother," Spencer said exiting the hallway from the master bedroom. He crouched down in front of his daughter. "The doctor is going to check mommy and the new baby."

"I wanna see baby sister…" Hope argued. She looked just like JJ when she wasn't getting her message across to the press on one of their cases.

"Daddy will show you the pictures, just like last time."

"Spence… stop trying to reason with her. She's stalling because she doesn't want to clear up the mess she made on the kitchen table." JJ placed the last juice glass into the dishwasher and closed the door.

"Honey… I told you I would do that." Reid scolded his pregnant wife.

"I can do this Spence."

"The doctor said for you to rest."

"I'm on leave from work and if I don't do a few things around here, I'm going to go nuts."

"Mommy…" Hope yelled.

"I told you not to shout at Mommy," Spencer scolded. "Do as she told you and clear off the table."

Hope did what Spencer told her to do and then ran back to her room, slamming the door. Spencer shrugged his shoulders and JJ frowned at him.

"Why does she do something when you tell her, and I can't get her to do anything."

"It's my natural charm!"

"Very funny Spencer," JJ pulled at the belt on her robe. "I'm going to take a quick shower and get dressed. Garcia will be here in about twenty minutes."

--

The knock at the front door announced Garcia's arrival. Hope ran out of her room and made it to the door before Reid could get out of his easy chair in the living room.

"Aunt 'nelope…" Hope cried, launching herself into the computer tech's arms.

"Hello little sunshine…" Garcia hugged the little girl.

"Hello Garcia…" Reid said.

"Hello yourself… Where's your lovely wife?"

"Mama gets dressed." Hope said, pulling Garcia along to the living room.

"Hope…" Reid said with some exasperation.

"Oh leave her alone. I didn't come here for you sweet pea. I need some quality time with Hope."

The little girl grinned up at her favorite babysitter. "Aunt 'nelope watch Chipmunks with me?"

"Hope… Say please."

"Please…" The little girl whined.

"Of course… I love that movie. Go put it in the machine and I'll be there in a minute. I need to talk to you Mama and Daddy."

"Kay…"

Garcia turned back to Reid and gave him the once over. She wore ruby red frames that day. Her peasant blouse was the same color as her glasses. She wore black jeans and very tame red tennis shoes.

"What…" She asked at the look on Reid's face.

"What's with the toned down outfit?'

"I can't wear heels to chase Hope around. Don't be silly…"

"Right…"

Garcia put her purse and jacket on one of the stools at the island counter top that separated the kitchen from the living room and eating nook.

"Okay sweet thing… What's bothering you?"

"Nothing…"

Garcia put her hands on her hips and stared him down. Reid said, "Okay… Geez, you must drive Morgan crazy! Can't a guy have a secret?"

"No… Not when he's one of my best friends."

"Its JJ… she won't slow down. She thinks that just because she's taken off from work, she can do everything around here. She won't let me help her!"

"She misses work. One day she's a kick ass FBI agent helping catch the bad guys and the next she's a stay at home mom. She's having trouble adjusting."

"I know… I just want her and the baby to be okay. It took so long for us to get pregnant… Look… you know I love Hope as if she were my own flesh and blood but…"

"You want your own child… I get that… JJ knows that too… I think she's a little freaked out."

"Really…"

"Baby boy… When are you going to turn on that famous profiling gene of yours, and understand your wife?"

He only stared at her and she laughed. "Okay… I'll stay out of it. I'm sure she'll be fine. Who cooked breakfast this morning?"

"I did," He admitted.

"Who cleared the table and got Hope ready."

"I did," He said again, beginning to look a little shame-faced.

"What did JJ do?"

"She loaded the dishwasher."

"See... Nothing extremely strenuous, she is going to be fine now that Hotch has her on leave. She'll have a lot less stress and she has Hope. You know she loves spending time with my little sunshine."

Reid smiled. "Yeah… she does," He agreed.

"Good… now you two find out the sex of the baby. Will you be happy if it's a girl?"

"Of course… I love all my girls. I'm more concerned about Hope. She wants a little sister in the worst way. What if it's a boy?"

"She'll get over it. She has to learn you can't always get what you want."

The door to JJ and Spencer's bedroom opened and JJ came out dressed in a pink maternity blouse and dark blue stretch pants.

"Hey Penelope…"

"Hey Sunshine, you look great."

"I hate maternity clothes," JJ complained.

"You look beautiful," Spencer said and then kissed her.

"See how well trained I have him," JJ said. Reid turned red and Garcia laughed.

"Aunt 'nelope… chipmunks…" Hope cried.

"Okay sweet girl…"

The Reids said their good byes and went out to the car. Spencer took the wheel and hoped that his daughter didn't cause any trouble for Garcia.

--

"Okay… Mr. and Mrs. Reid… Everything looks healthy, the baby is doing perfectly. Do you want to know the sex of the baby?"

Dr. Kelly Moore looked up from the monitor where she'd been pointing out the baby's legs, and its hands.

"Yeah… we changed our mind. We want to know." JJ exclaimed, wiping at the tears that had started when the doctor had pointed out the baby.

"Okay… let's take a look. Hopefully the baby will cooperate and be in position that we can see…"

She moved the transducer around for a minute, muttering to the screen and then said, "Congratulations…"

--

Spencer squeezed JJ hand as he drove the car back down the street to their home in Arlington. "Are you happy? He asked her.

"Are you kidding…? Of course I am. I've been hoping that the doctor would tell us this. I'm so glad we're having a baby created from our love. I love Hope so much but…"

"I know… I'm happy too. We're going to be so happy." She grinned at him and he smiled back at her.

--

Reid put the casserole dish full of macaroni and cheese down on the cooling rack. "Hope… Go tell your mother that dinner is served."

"Yay…"

"Don't forget to wash up," He called after the retreating form of his little girl.

He went to the refrigerator for the bottle of sparkling cider he'd picked up on the way home from the doctor's office. The green beans were just done cooking, so he took the pot off the stove and dished them into a big serving bowl.

JJ came into the dining nook with Hope following her. She changed into a teen shirt and grey sweat pants as the late April evening was a bit chilly.

"You look beautiful," He kissed her cheek.

"You'd say that if I were wearing rags." She laughed but was pleased at the adoring looks she always got from him.

"I say it because it's true." He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her again, this time on the mouth.

"Ick… Mommy…"

JJ pulled away and began to laugh at the look of disgust on her daughters face. "Ok my beauty… time to eat."

They sat down and JJ commented on the fare before them, "Oh… your famous Mac and Cheese. I guess this really is a celebration."

"Your daughter requested it." He said. "And it is a celebration," He admitted.

By the time they finished dinner Hope was squirming in her chair. "Daddy you promised," She begged.

"Okay baby girl…"

"What did you promise her Spencer?" JJ asked crossing her arms over her chest.

"I promised to tell her all about the baby…"

"I'll let you handle it." JJ said, putting her fork into the last mouthful of green beans on her plate.

"When my baby sister gonna get born," Hope asked eagerly.

"It's three months away honey. Now you remember I told you that the baby could be a boy or a girl." He crossed his fingers behind his back.

"Yes daddy…"

"Well… You're going to have a little brother…"

"I want a baby sister…"

"Hope…" JJ began giving Reid an, 'I told you so' look."

"Honey… God wants us to have a little boy and…"

"I hate you… I hate the baby… I want a little sister…" Hope began to cry.

"Hope Reid… you will not speak to me or your father like that. Do you understand?"

"I hate you mommy… You're mean! I want a baby sister!"

Her face was beet red. "Hope… Go to your room this instant."

The child ran crying to her room. Spencer started to get out of his chair and was stopped by a hand on his arm.

"Let her go… She has to learn that there is disappointment in life. If she doesn't learn it now, she's going to have a hard time."

He sat back down in his chair and began playing with his fork. "I know… I just don't want her to be un-happy for one minute. I know it sounds stupid."

"No… You want what every parent wants for their children, a life without suffering. It's not realistic, but it's what we want."

He reached over and took her hand in his. She squeezed it tightly and the warmth of her touch reassured him that they would get through this as they had every challenge they had weathered before this day.

"Come on… Let's go talk to her."

They left the dishes on the table and went to Hope's bedroom door. JJ tried to open it, but the door wouldn't budge.

"Hope… Open the door now…"

"_No… I no wanna talk to you… I hate you…"_

"Hope Reid… Open the door this instant…" Spencer said through the door.

"Why can't we get it open…? She doesn't have a lock on the door."

"I don't know… Maybe she put a chair against it or something." He told his wife.

"Hope… Open the door!"

"_No… don't wanna talk to you… I don't want a baby brother… I want a sister."_

"Hope…" JJ began to call to her daughter.

Reid pulled her away from the door. "Spence what the hell are you doing?"

"I have an idea. Just follow my lead."

Reid said very loudly… "Ok… I guess we'll just leave Hope alone. She can stay in her room all by herself."

JJ grinned up at him. "You're right Spencer… We'll just go clean up the kitchen and then we can watch a movie.

They listened at the door, but no sound came out of Hope's room. Spencer winked at his wife and they went back to the kitchen to clean up.

--

Spencer was just about asleep on the couch. JJ had fallen asleep in the middle of making Reid watch "You've Got Mail," for the hundredth time.

A small hand touched his leg and he looked down to see Hope standing there with a red face and swollen eyes from crying.

"Well… I see you decided to come out of your room."

"I sorry daddy…"

"I'm not the one to apologize too. You hurt your mother's feelings." He said gently. JJ snorted and turned in his arms.

"I don't hate mommy or daddy." Hope's lip was quivering again.

"I know that baby…"

"I want a baby sister…"

Reid shifted and managed to get out from his wife's arms. He picked up his daughter and took her into her room.

"Hope… I can't change that. Mommy is going to have a baby brother for you."

"Don't want baby brother…"

"I know… I'm sorry… but I can't change that."

"But daddy…"

He placed her on the edge of her bed and sat next to her. JJ came to the door just as he was about to speak.

"Hope… Can I come in?"

Hope nodded and JJ sat on the other side of the little girl. Hope hugged her mom around the middle, "I sorry mommy."

"I know you are… but you have to be punished for yelling and telling mommy you hate her. You're going to be grounded for a week, no television or videos. You can't play with Jill or Megan at all. Is that understood young lady?" JJ said.

Hope nodded her head. Reid hugged her and kissed her cheek. JJ made sure she got to sleep. Hope said to her just before she closed her tired little eyes. "Want a baby sister,"

--

"So what happened after that…?" Garcia asked. Emily was sitting on the other side of JJ on the living room couch. She was watching little Ethan Matthew Reid sway back and forth in his swing.

He was two weeks old and he looked so much like Spencer that Garcia called him Reid's own mini me. His hair was the precise shade of Reid's and curly at the ends. He had blue eyes, but his facial features and hands were the same as Reid's. Eyes change in infants and JJ hoped they would change to match Spencer's eyes.

"She threw a couple more tantrums before Ethan was born, but Spence was the one to figure out the real reason for her behavior."

Emily set her cup of peppermint tea on the coffee table. "He did," She asked? "I didn't think Spencer was the one that would be the expert on child psychology."

"He said that Hope was afraid that we'd give all of our attention to the baby."

"So it was all about jealousy?" Garcia asked, stirring her tea.

"Yeah… He said she would've have acted that way if the baby was a girl too."

Emily stood and took her cup to the sink and rinsed it out. "I thought she wanted a sibling."

"She does… but not if it means she can't be the baby anymore." JJ explained.

Emily came back to the couch and perched on the end. "So what does this have to do with me and Garcia?

"Spence and I have made it a point to spend as much time as we can with Hope. Now that the baby is here, we want to set up an evening of family time with Hope. Ethan is too little to go on some of the activities we have planned…"

"I know where this is going… You want us to take turns babysitting mini Reid."

JJ went pink in the cheeks and ducked her head. "Yeah… I mean if it's okay with you and…"

Emily and Garcia said together. "Yes!" They looked at each and began to laugh.

"You don't have to ask!" Garcia said. She was throwing adoring looks toward Ethan, who was sound asleep and oblivious to the new arrangements being made for him.

"Yeah… He's so cute." Emily agreed.

Hope came into the room and went over to the little swing. "Mommy… Can I hold E'tan… please…?"

"No honey… he's sleeping!"

Hope frowned, but she reached out and gently touched the top of Ethan's head with her little hand. The three women smiled at each other.

"You can help mommy give him a bottle in a little while." JJ promised.

"Yay…"

Hope clapped her hands and then jumped up on the couch between Emily and Garcia. She began babbling very fast to them. They didn't understand most of what the child was saying in her eagerness, but it appeared that the Reid family was going to be okay.

"What's all the ruckus…?" Reid asked. He entered the room from the utility room, which led to the attached garage.

JJ got up to meet him and he kissed her hard on the mouth. "Ew… Daddy yuck…" Hope said.

The others laughed. It seemed things were back to normal, at least for now!

THE END


End file.
